Page 45 of His Fresh Start Cowboy
Would Brand be able to live his own authentic life if he stayed and also chose to date Hugo? Maybe. Maybe not. Their parents loved their children unconditionally, even if they didn’t always understand their choices. Mom and Dad might not like it at first, and Sage might be as cool to him as she was with Colt, but it wasn’t like they’d kick him out of the house.
No, his biggest fear was any backlash against the ranch if folks found out. And they would. In a town the size of Weston, eventually people would talk.
He stared at the stars and silently wished for the answer to all his problems. The stars simply winked their thousands-year-old light at him and shined on.
Chapter Fourteen
Two days after Brand caught Hugo nearly weeping over baby cows and bulls in the barn, Hugo had managed to continue avoiding him while at work. Brand seemed preoccupied by something, likely to do with the business, so Hugo didn’t bother wondering. He was just an employee.
Even though Alan Denning had been released by his doctor as fit for duty, Brand had him and Hugo assigned to riding with the herds, while Jackson got the fun duties of mucking stalls most days. Less stress on Alan’s hand. The guy was almost old enough to be Hugo’s dad, and sometimes while they rode together, Hugo got nostalgic for his early childhood at his family’s ranch. Riding in the saddle with his dad, tending to their small herd. Playing horseshoes after supper and then snacking on kolaches.
Even though the man hadn’t been part of Hugo’s life in seventeen years, he still missed his dad.
He and Alan were heading back to the barn and the end of their workday when Hugo spotted a familiar motorcycle parked near the main house. His stomach plummeted to his feet. He pulled No Name to a stop by the barn doors and simply stared, chilled to the bone. What the actual fuck was Buck doing here again?
“Hey, Hugo, you okay?” Alan asked. He’d dismounted his horse and was waiting by the mouth of the barn.
Hugo couldn’t look away from that motorcycle. “Can you, um, take No Name into the barn for me?” He dismounted slowly, careful never to take his eyes off the main house, and didn’t stumble a step. No Name nudged his shoulder but he ignored him.
“Sure, no problem.”
Alan probably thought he was some kind of idiot, but Hugo didn’t care. He took several long steps toward the Woods house, furious at that motorcycle for being here and terrified by what it might mean, because he didn’t see Buck anywhere in the main yard.
The front door opened and two men stepped out onto the porch: Wayne and Buck. Both men were smiling, and the sight made Hugo want to vomit. The feeling got worse when the pair shook hands. Hugo wanted to charge over there, rip the men apart, and demand Buck get the hell off the property. But it wasn’t his place, and he couldn’t make himself move.
Buck said something that made Wayne laugh, then headed for his motorcycle. As he picked up the helmet, he very deliberately met Hugo’s gaze. The bastard winked. Hugo balled his hands into tight fists, silently daring him to make a move. Buck put the helmet on, started the machine, and drove away.
“Dude,” Jackson said behind Hugo. “Wasn’t that the guy from before? What’s he doing back here?”
“I don’t know.” Hugo rolled his shoulders, determined to find out now that the bogeyman wasn’t staring him down.
Wayne ambled toward them, hands in the pockets of his very worn jeans. “You boys having a good day?”
“It was great until I saw Buck.” He hadn’t meant to be so blunt with his boss, but the words were out now.
“You know Buck Archer?”
“Yeah, I do, and for all the worst reasons.” A loud bark echoed from inside the barn, and it hit Hugo that he hadn’t seen Brutus around since he got back. Brutus, who’d defended him the first time Buck showed up here. “What did he want?”
“Came around looking for a job. He’s gotta find one to meet the conditions of his parole.”
“And he came here of all places?” Of course he did. The man was a menace and probably only showed up to fuck with Hugo, whether he landed a job or not. “You can’t hire him, sir.”
Wayne’s eyebrows went up. “Hiring is my prerogative, young buck, not yours.”
“I realize that, sir, and I apologize for being rude, but Buck is not a nice person. Do you know why he was in prison?”
“Yep, for assaulting a sheriff’s deputy. He explained he was drunk at the time and shouldn’t have resisted arrest.”
Hugo bristled. “Did he forget to mention the deputy was there to arrest him for assaulting his girlfriend?”
“He didn’t mention that, no. But I don’t like to judge folks by their past mistakes. We’ve all made them, and we’ve all tried to atone for them.”
“Sir, I know you don’t like being told what to do with your business, but I know Buck. He’s my stepbrother, he was abusive to me when I was younger, and I simply do not trust him to be around the cattle or your horses. He is not a nice person. He came here a few weeks ago to taunt me about being out of prison, and he probably would have attacked me if Brutus hadn’t intervened.”
Wayne’s expression shifted from surprised to understanding. “That must be why Brutus wouldn’t stop barking when Buck first showed up. I had to lock him up in a horse stall so Buck could come into the house for the interview. The man doesn’t have any ranching experience, but I was considering him because we are short-handed.” Before Hugo could object again, Wayne raised a hand. “But I also trust you, Hugo. Known you a lotta years, whereas this man’s a stranger.” He studied Hugo long enough for him to squirm. “Did your parents know what was going on back then?”
Hugo shrugged, not in the mood to dig around in his past right now. “Yes and no. But this ranch, sir? I always felt safe here. Still do.” Even more so knowing Wayne was on his side.
